'Drive-by Exploit' Email Scam

Many people think that cybercriminals rely on just malware to execute harmful attacks against computers. However, the truth is that the arsenal of most cybercrooks contains more than just Trojans, file-lockers, and similar threats – in fact, many online criminals rely on basic social engineering tricks to get users to follow their commands. This is the exact strategy adopted by the author of the 'Drive-by Exploit' Email Scam that has been bothering users worldwide in 2019.

This scam does not involve the use of any malware and, instead, it is executed with a simple email message that anyone can receive as long as the scammers know their email address. The lengthy message seen in the scam email states that the victim's computer has been infected by 'private malware' when they visited a Web page compromised by the attacker. The message then continues with some fearmongering statements whose purpose is to scare the recipient into thinking that criminals have obtained information and videos of them – the attackers threaten to release the information in question on the Dark Web, as well as to spread it to co-workers, family, and friends of the victim.

The scammers then offer an 'easy' solution – pay $800 via Bitcoin and they will wipe out all the information they have, and you will be able to continue life as if nothing has happened. The good news is that all this is a huge bluff and you should not fall for the basic fearmongering strategies used in this hoax – there is no malware, and the sender does not have any sensitive information. It is recommended to delete the email, block & report the address it was sent from, and stay vigilant for similar tactics. This also may be called 'Save Yourself' Email Scam due to the types of email addresses the attackers use – saveyou36@8395.com, saveyou84@4914.com, saveyou51@1225.com, etc.